Bowden celebrates 84th birthday in Sarasota

Bobby Bowden, former football head coach of Florida State University earlier this year at The 8th Annual Dick Vitale Galay at The Ritz-Carlton. He returned to Sarasota on Friday to celebrate his 84th birthday.

Once, he was worried about life after football. His father, a banker, died six months after he retired. His idol, Bear Bryant, died a month after coaching his last game at Alabama.

But Bowden, who left FSU in 2009 — and not by his own design — looks fit and healthy and leaner than he did during his last years as a coach.

And of course, he remains as folksy, gregarious and accommodating as always. He even signed the bill of a University of Florida baseball cap on Friday.

He speaks across the country these days, raising money for charities. On Wednesday he was in Orlando. On Thursday, Omaha. And Friday? Friday brought him to the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium to speak at a fundraiser for the Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center.

“They fixed me up where I could take a nap today,” Bowden said.

If you want to keep up with his schedule, you can always follow him on Twitter . . .

Wait. Bobby Bowden? Twitter?

“My publicist does that,” Bowden said. “I don’t even know how to work it.”

After his controversial retirement/firing from FSU after the 2009 season, Bowden made a conscious effort to stay away from Doak Campbell Stadium and the football program in deference to new coach Jimbo Fisher.

Bowden did not want to get in the way, mindful of the immense shadow he cast.

Though he continues to live in Tallahassee, he finally returned to the stadium on Oct. 26 and was honored at a game.

A national title

Prior to kickoff, the crowd went bonkers when he walked out to midfield and planted the famous flaming spear in the ground, one of the great college football traditions.

“I didn’t care about throwing that dadgum spear,” Bowden said. “I was afraid it wouldn’t stick up. You know, like a javelin. Ever throw one of those things and it doesn’t stick up?”

The FSU band actually spelled out “Dadgum'’ at halftime, a favorite saying of Bowden’s.

Bowden will be back at Doak Campbell next weekend as the school honors the 20th anniversary of the 1993 national championship team.

It was the first of two championships Bowden won in his 43 seasons, and it lifted him into the coaching stratosphere.

But Bowden said Friday he would have been fine had he never won a national title at all.

“Oh yeah, sure,” he said, “there were a lot of great coaches who didn’t win one. But they won a lot of ballgames and conference championships and were very successful.

“No, I refuse to let football be my guide,” he said. “That’s my way of making a living and paying for my family’s needs. I enjoyed it, loved it, wanted to win, but if it hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have cut my wrist.”

In the 10th week of the 1993 season, top-ranked FSU lost to second-ranked Notre Dame, but the Irish were shocked the next week by Boston College.

That thrust FSU back into the national title game against top-ranked Nebraska and sophomore quarterback Tommie Frazier, a Manatee High grad.

FSU knocked off Nebraska, 18-16, in the Orange Bowl to win the title. Local players Todd Rebol (Charlotte High) and Patrick McNeil (Manatee High) were members of FSU’s team.

<p>Bobby Bowden, the ever iconic, always affable former FSU football coach, celebrated his 84th birthday in Sarasota on Friday night. </p><p>College football's all-time winningest coach did not hesitate when asked about the best present he'd ever received.</p><p>“I go back 84 years now,” Bowden said. “I guess waking up. That ain't bad. When you're 84 and you wake up, that ain't bad.”</p><p>Once, he was worried about life after football. His father, a banker, died six months after he retired. His idol, Bear Bryant, died a month after coaching his last game at Alabama.</p><p>But Bowden, who left FSU in 2009 — and not by his own design — looks fit and healthy and leaner than he did during his last years as a coach.</p><p>And of course, he remains as folksy, gregarious and accommodating as always. He even signed the bill of a University of Florida baseball cap on Friday.</p><p>He speaks across the country these days, raising money for charities. On Wednesday he was in Orlando. On Thursday, Omaha. And Friday? Friday brought him to the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium to speak at a fundraiser for the Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center.</p><p>“They fixed me up where I could take a nap today,” Bowden said.</p><p>If you want to keep up with his schedule, you can always follow him on Twitter . . .</p><p>Wait. Bobby Bowden? Twitter?</p><p>“My publicist does that,” Bowden said. “I don't even know how to work it.” </p><p>After his controversial retirement/firing from FSU after the 2009 season, Bowden made a conscious effort to stay away from Doak Campbell Stadium and the football program in deference to new coach Jimbo Fisher.</p><p>Bowden did not want to get in the way, mindful of the immense shadow he cast.</p><p>Though he continues to live in Tallahassee, he finally returned to the stadium on Oct. 26 and was honored at a game.</p><p><B>A national title</b></p><p>Prior to kickoff, the crowd went bonkers when he walked out to midfield and planted the famous flaming spear in the ground, one of the great college football traditions.</p><p>“I didn't care about throwing that dadgum spear,” Bowden said. “I was afraid it wouldn't stick up. You know, like a javelin. Ever throw one of those things and it doesn't stick up?”</p><p>The FSU band actually spelled out “Dadgum'' at halftime, a favorite saying of Bowden's.</p><p>Bowden will be back at Doak Campbell next weekend as the school honors the 20th anniversary of the 1993 national championship team.</p><p>It was the first of two championships Bowden won in his 43 seasons, and it lifted him into the coaching stratosphere.</p><p>But Bowden said Friday he would have been fine had he never won a national title at all.</p><p>“Oh yeah, sure,” he said, “there were a lot of great coaches who didn't win one. But they won a lot of ballgames and conference championships and were very successful.</p><p>“No, I refuse to let football be my guide,” he said. “That's my way of making a living and paying for my family's needs. I enjoyed it, loved it, wanted to win, but if it hadn't happened I wouldn't have cut my wrist.”</p><p>In the 10th week of the 1993 season, top-ranked FSU lost to second-ranked Notre Dame, but the Irish were shocked the next week by Boston College.</p><p>That thrust FSU back into the national title game against top-ranked Nebraska and sophomore quarterback Tommie Frazier, a Manatee High grad.</p><p>FSU knocked off Nebraska, 18-16, in the Orange Bowl to win the title. Local players Todd Rebol (Charlotte High) and Patrick McNeil (Manatee High) were members of FSU's team.</p><p>Bowden's FSU teams were simply dominating, especially in the 1990s, accomplishing things that boggle the mind today.</p><p><B>Crimson Tide</b></p><p>Bowden went 14 straight seasons with 10 or more wins, had 14 straight Top 5 finishes, won two national titles and had a pair of Heisman winners.</p><p>In addition to 1993, Bowden won a national title in 1999 with quarterback Chris Weinke and receiver Peter Warrick, a Southeast High grad. (Weinke currently coaches at IMG in Bradenton.)</p><p>If FSU wins out this season — Florida is its toughest remaining opponent — the school will have a shot at another national title, more than likely against Alabama. </p><p>Bowden is a lifelong fan of Alabama, and had a meaningful relationship with Bear Bryant.</p><p>“It would suit me fine,” Bowden said. “Alabama's always been my second school.”</p><p>Bowden was born on Nov. 8, 1929, in Birmingham, Ala., at the start of the Great Depression.</p><p>At age 13, he got a diagnosis of rheumatic fever, and spent six months in the hospital. After he was discharged, he spent nearly a year inside his house, essentially unable to go anywhere.</p><p>On Saturday afternoons, he began listening to Alabama games on the radio, and that's how he became introduced to the sport.</p><p>Alabama became his team, and it wasn't all that long before his dad was taking him to games and he was out in the street playing football with his friends and quarterbacking the Crimson Tide.</p><p>Bowden actually attended Alabama as a quarterback for a semester, but had to surrender his scholarship. </p><p>He'd gotten married to Ann, and the school didn't allow married students to play football then.</p><p>Bowden even interviewed for the Alabama job in 1986, but didn't get it. The job went to Bill Curry. </p><p>Alabama's interview committee thought Bowden's best days were behind him.</p><p>He was 57.</p><p>Bowden began coaching at FSU in 1976, but he never faced Alabama until 2007, when he beat Nick Saban 21-14 in Jacksonville.</p><p>“I was a real fan of the University of Alabama,” Bowden said. </p><p>“But I spent 34 years at Florida State, so that would be my No. 1 team.”</p>